The cars and combat of the Mad Max game from Avalanche Studio

An interview with Avalanche Studios' lead level designer, Andreas Gschwari.

Earlier this year at E3, Avalanche Studios announced Mad Max as a launch title for Playstation 4, and set to hit other gaming platforms too. Set in a huge open world, the game draws inspiration from the films but is not based on any of them. We decided to catch up with a honcho at Avalanche Studios, lead level designer Andreas Gschwari, to find out more about the game.

R&T: For our first order of business, why did Avalanche choose the Mad Max universe for a new game concept?

Gschwari: What didn't draw us to Mad Max? The universe invites exploration and survival, not to mention many at the studio have been fans of the franchise for decades, so we really enjoy bringing our version of Mad Max to life. For a decade now, we have specialized in huge open worlds, highlighting a host of vehicles. With Mad Max, we're giving our players a wide variety of options to explore within an original storyline and a license to just have fun.

R&T: That does sound pretty promising. What can we, as the car guys and gals of the world, really look forward to? Will there be tons of fun cars? Upgrades?

Gschwari: We have both! There are around 50 vehicles. But the highlight is going to be the Magnum Opus, the player's signature vehicle. Right from the start, the car is customizable in appearance, but, as the game progresses, there are a huge number of upgrades the player can choose from—and since our game is heavily based on physicality, every upgrade affects how the car handles. This allows the player to create a car that behaves just the way they want it to. Off-road, ramming, speed—the players can specialize in a way that caters to their personal preferences and play style.

R&T: Since the video game doesn't focus on a particular Mad Max movie, how are you incorporating the film franchise into the game? Can we expect to see any movie baddies to show up?

Gschwari: We are not rewriting history, but rather, we create a chapter of Max's life and we tell that story. Our Mad Max is a unique interpretation, where Max must fight to stay alive against the brutal gangs of bandits. As Max works to escape from "The Wasteland," he aligns himself with a mechanic named Chumbucket and others to build the greatest war vehicle.

Gschwari: It is a bit early to talk about specifics, but I can assure players that every single car will have a definite Mad Max look and feel. Our artists have worked tirelessly to do the world of Mad Max justice.

R&T: We were given glimpses of Max fighting in hand to hand combat at E3. I wanted to make sure that the car side of things wasn't just relegated to world travel and small sections. What's car combat like?

Gschwari: Cars and car combat are absolutely integral. So a lot of time and effort is going into getting that experience just right. On the one hand, we want the player to experience the thrill of just driving through our vast open world—to experience the joy of being behind the wheel of a powerful machine. On the other hand, we really want to give the players a range of tools to use in car combat, allow them to decide their own strategy and use what they have to their advantage - this empowerment of the player is a core principle of Avalanche Studios.

R&T: So now that we have that covered, what else we could we do with our Magnum Opus? Will there be secondary missions, races, or other challenges?

Gschwari: I can't reveal too much about other features at this point, but as you might have guessed by now, the cars play a vital role in our Mad Max experience. We can't wait to reveal more about how players will use the Magnum Opus as the key to survival in Mad Max.

R&T: Thank you!

Despite some understandably noncommittal answers, Gschwari made me fairly excited about the game. However, I was a little upset about the dodge around the question of movie baddies. I greatly desire a chance to fight against Lord Humungus. I'll have to wait and see if the new bandits in this new chapter in the Mad Max story are as good as the originals. At least the cars are shaping up to be.

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